I Heart Amy Bloom

by Susan McBride

Amy Bloom is an award-winning novelist and short story writer (among other things). Do I know her? No, I’ve never had the pleasure. Have I read her work? Sadly, I can’t say that I have as of yet, although I’ve added her novel, Away, to my “must get” list.

Regardless, I wanna be like Amy and here’s why.

A recent Amazon ad showed a couple relaxing on the beach with Kindles in hand. The camera focused on the woman’s screen, and it revealed the page of a book. Most of us couldn’t even see what it said, but some clever person figured out that it was from Amy Bloom’s short story collection, Where the God of Love Hangs Out.

Once that became known, the media descended. When asked about her “appearance” in a Kindle TV ad, she remarked, “I feel very grateful for whoever it was who said, ‘Hey, how about a page from an Amy Bloom story.’”

What she said next in that same interview is what made me decide, “Ms. Bloom, you rock.” In response to being asked if the Kindle brouhaha would increase sales of her book, she answered:

"You never know. It probably won't do me any harm. On the other hand, the other way to look at it is who cares? I've done my job as a writer. I've written the best work I know how. And I'm appreciative of the people who read it and care about the work—and that's pretty much the end of that. Anything else that happens is sometimes nice, and sometimes not so nice, but not really directly relevant."

Now do you see why I heart her?

I want to be that writer who doesn’t worry about promotion, Twitter, Facebook, and getting on Oprah. (Is anyone else relieved it’s her last season? Maybe then well-intentioned but clueless family members will stop asking me, “When is Oprah having you on?”).

I crave indifference to both good reviews and bad and the ability to sincerely and confidently state, “I wrote the best damned book I could. What happens next is up to God/Fate, Readers/Booksellers, and/or The Easter Bunny."

I yearn to sigh happily when I’ve typed “The End” (okay, I don’t really ever type “The End,” but it sounds better), close that chapter of my writing life, and move on to the next deadline without worrying about a million tiny things, like, will my mother-in-law enjoy it, will it get reviewed by someone who likes women’s fiction and not by a devoted fan of Amish Vampire YA Dystopian Cozies, and will people judge it by the words inside instead of by its cover? (Speaking of covers, you already heard me whine about cover issues with The Cougar Club so I’m hoping to avoid the same fate with Little Black Dress, although I'm not holding my breath and my cover fairy seems to be on an extended vacation.  Damn her.)

When I sit down at my keyboard to tell a story, it is truly a passion. It isn’t always easy, but it’s what I love. So much is involved with being a published author these days, way beyond the storytelling. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m in this for the words and for the high I get when a tale that’s existed only in my head for months and months is suddenly out there for anyone to read (even folks unrelated to me who buy copies from bookstores in places I’ve never been).

I will turn in Little Black Dress tomorrow and, when I do, like Amy Bloom, I'll be thinking, "I’ve truly done the best job that I can."

And I hope that it’s enough.

Susan McBride is looking forward to sleeping in, watching mindless TV, and eating plenty of chocolate while recovering from deadline-itis. LITTLE BLACK DRESS, her tale of two sisters, a daughter, and a magical little black dress that changes all of their lives, has been moved up in the schedule and will be available from HarperCollins/Avon in mid-May of 2011.  Visit her at SusanMcBride.com.

P.S.  Happy Birthday to Ellen Meister!!!